You can blame me. I lived in TX for a few years and moved back to the midwest a year ago in December. Last winter was not too bad. While in TX, I kept saying how much I missed winter. This winter has definitely made up for my time in TX.

Still, I don't hate the cold and the snow/ice. Because of my time in TX, people think I'm not acclimated to the cold. Meh. It's not that bad. I was downtown today and wearing my light winter jacket plus hat & gloves. I have much heavier gear for when it's colder. I'm never miserable. I just know how to adjust to the cold.

But I still can't wait for spring. I love to watch everything come alive.

I have worked outdoors in the Midwest most my life. I would go back to the mountains of Tennessee if I had a choice. But the sub zero stuff has worn thin on me for sure. Just tired of flat, cold, dirt and asphalt.

Ya this blows. I've lived here all my life, and was ready to go after the ice storm a few years back. I don't necessarily mind it snowing a couple times, but the ridiculous low temps and non stop snow/ice is depressing. My FIW lives in Florida, and each time we go down there, its harder and harder to come back here.
I'm ready to get off the trainer and on an actual path dammit!

I wouldn't trade the seasonal variability for anything. The heat gets to me at a certain point, and the summers if I go too far south start to get miserable. I could swing the NC mountains but that's about the extent of it.

Even high altitude desert heat gets to be too much for me at some point (spent a summer in S. Utah years ago for work).

The thaw is comming!!!!!

Spring Thaw Could Damage Our Trails!

Our trails in Indiana are most at risk from user damage during freeze / thaw cycles. Moisture in the ground causes the ground to expand as it freezes, leaving the trails very soft and wet as they thaw. While trails maybe fine to ride when fully frozen, they can be easily damaged by hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikes as they thaw out. With the long hard freeze and moisture from rain and snow, this spring could present unusually fragile trails until the ground completely thaws and dries out. Also, keep in mind that shaded areas deep in the woods could take several weeks longer to thaw that areas exposed to the sun.

Please stay off of HMBA (and most other Indiana) trails when the temperatures go above freezing in late winter / early spring. If you are leaving tire tracks or foot prints, then the tails are too soft. Please exit the trail immediately and let other trail users know the trails are too soft to be used.

Most mountain bike trails in Indiana are maintained by volunteers. Those volunteers would rather be riding or building new trails, than fixing damage from trail users. A year’s worth of maintenance work can be created by damage done as the trails thaw out.

Some special notes:

If you need to ride as the temperatures increase, please do so on paved and gravel roads/paths. Mountain bikes do just fine on paved trails and gravel roads. There are lots of gravel roads in our state and many south of Brown County that provide a real back woods feel. There are also multi use trails in Hoosier National Forest that may be used (if you dare!), but please also avoid Nebo ridge.

HMBA trail status: Blue (Freeze/thaw): The Blue indicator means that the trail may be ridden if frozen. It does not mean that the trails are frozen. There are too many variable that determine when a trail will freeze or thaw. It is the rider’s responsibility to avoid muddy trails even if the indicator is blue.

FAT BIKES: While Fat Bikes make a shallower but wider tire track, they still cause trail damage in muddy conditions. Fat Bikes are also expected to avoid muddy trails.

Hikers and trail runners: Use of trails when muddy, even by foot traffic , creates trail damage. Please seek paved or gravel paths when the trails are muddy. This message from HMBA applies specifically to trails built and maintained by mountain bikers. It makes your user groups look bad when they damage trails primarily maintained by another user group. It is up to your groups how you wish to treat your hiking only trails.

New trail construction (Brown County, SWW, O’Bannon, etc…) will not begin until regular maintenance is complete. More volunteers for trail maintenance and less trail users in bad conditions means that we will start building new trails sooner.

We have some great trails Indiana, thanks to the hard work of volunteers. Please show your support and appreciation for their efforts by respecting the trails in the next couple of months. While I am speaking primarily for Indiana, this message likely applies to other Midwest states.

It's been great fatbiking weather this winter with all of the snow we've had. I've probably been able to ride more this winter off-road than many of the past years.

I think the thaw is FINALLY starting this weekend, at least in Ohio. So local trails will be pretty much off-limits for the next 4-6 weeks or so at best. Time to hit the roads!

John Bryan SP is holding a trail clean-up day on 3/22 so if you're itching to be near dirt come on out and help clean up. There's a lot of deadfall and debris on the trail and there's some areas that need special attention due to some of the powerline area clearing.

Jeremy

Please Note: I no longer work for Airborne. If you have an Airborne question or problem please contact them directly.